Electric bell



(No Model.)

C. J. MEANS.

Electric Bell.

No. 234,316. Patented Nov. 9,1880

Unites rates star rare CHARLES J. MEANS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC BELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,316, dated November 9, 1880.

Application filed April 15, 1880. (No model.)

and is designed to be used in railroad signal-' ing, burglar-alarms, &c.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, with a circuit from a battery lo cated near an alarm-bell, of a circuit-changing device operated by an electro-magnet in said circuit and caused to move in one direction by the closing or breaking of said circuit, to shunt the circuit passing through the magnet and establish a short circuit from the same battery through an electro-magnet operating an alarm-bell, and moved to its normal position by the alarm-bell mechanism after each stroke or after any number of strokes.

In the accompanying drawing apparatus is shown in which the circuit-changingdeviceis returned to its normal position after each stroke by the action of a sliding rod operated by the bell-hammer; but the invention maybe carried into effect by other mechanical arrangements.

Referring to the drawing, which is aview in perspective of such an apparatus arranged to be operated by an open circuit, Ais a lever attached to the armature of an electro-magnet, B, movable upon the pivot a. l) b are plates, of hard rubber or other non-con d ucting material, fastened on opposite sides of the lever A, so as to make a perfectly smooth surface on the end of said lever. c c are springfingers, of metal, resting respectively on the metallic and non-conducting portion of the lever A, and supported by the adjustable metallic standards (I d.

D is an electro-magnet, provided with an armature, f, movable upon the pivot c, the other extremity of said armature being armed with a hammer, E, which strikes against the bell F whenever the magnet D attracts its armature.

\Vhen the magnet releases its armature the latter is drawn back by its spiral spring 9 until it strikes the set-screw h.

His a sliding rod, heldin the position shown by the spiral spring m, and is placed so as to come in contact withthe adjustable set-screw n on the bell-hammer lever near the completion of the stroke of the latter. When this slide is struck by the set-screw n the other end comes in contact with the lever A and pushes it away from the magnet B, and in so doing shunts the current from spring-finger c to spring-finger c. 7

P is a battery located near the apparatus.

8 s are wires leading to the point from which it is desired to give an alarm. K is a circuit-closer of any suitable construction. One end of wire 3 is connected to spring-finger c, which normally rests on the metallic portion of lever A. Springfinger c is connected by wire y with one end of the coils of electro-magnet D, and normally rests on the non-conducting part of lever A, but makes contact with the metallic portion when the current through electro magnet B is closed. One pole of the battery P is connected by wire t to lever A. The other pole is connected to one end of the coils of clectroanagnets B and D by wires c o.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Supposethe external circuit, composed of wires s s, be closed by circuit-closer K, the current from the battery P will traverse wire t, lever A, spring-finger 0, wire 8, circuit-closer K, wire 8, electro-magnet B, wire c, to battery. The magnet B will then attract the lever A and will 8 shunt the current from spring-fingercto springfinger c. The current-will then flow through wire it, lever A, spring-finger 0, wire y, electro magnet D, wire 1;, to battery. This being a short local circuit, the magnet D will become strongly magnetic with small battery-power and will attract armature f, and the hammer E will strike a strong blow on the bell F. Just before the hammer strikes the bell the setscrew it comes in contact with the sliding rod 5 H and pushes the leverA away from the springfinger 0 into connection with spring-finger c. The current through the magnet D being broken, its armature is drawn back by spiral spring 9. If the circuit is kept closed by cir- 10o cuit-closer K, this operation will be repeated and a succession of strokes will be given.

It will be readily seen that the power neces sa-ry to move the lever A is so small that the wires 8 5 may extend over a long distance without affecting the working of the bell, while the circuit through the bell-magnet D is so short that the bell will be sounded much moreloudly than is possible with the apparatus commonly used for the purpose.

It will be seen at once by any one skilled in the art that the apparatus could be arranged so that the circuit through 8 should be normally closed and the bell sounded when the current through said circuit was broken, so that a detailed description need not be given.

The foregoing description shows the application of my invention to alarms; but the ma gnetD might operate other mechanism than that shown without altering the spirit of my invention.

'What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In an electromagnetic alarm, the combination, with a circuit from a battery located near an alarm-bell, of a circuitchanging de vice operated by an electromagnet in said circuit and caused to move in one direction by the closing or breaking of said circuit, to shuntthe circuit passing through the said magnet and establish a short circuit from the same battery through an electro-magnet operating an alarm-bell and moved to its normal position by the alarm-bell mechanism after each stroke, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of an electro-magnet in an electric circuit from a battery located near an alarm'bell, a circuit-changin g device operated by said electro-magnet, and operating, when the current through the said magnet is broken or closed, to shunt the circuit from said magnet and establish a circuit through a second electro-magnet, a sliding bar operated by themovement of the armature of the said second elcctro-magnet, and acting, whensaid armature is attracted, to restore the circuitchanging device to its original position, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the electro-magnet D, the bell-hamm er lever E, attached to the armature of said magnet, bell F, sliding rod H, and the adj usting-screw n on the bellhammer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the metallic springtinger c, electrically connected to the wire a, the metallic spring-finger c, electrically connected to the electro-magnet D, the metallic lever A, operated by the electromagnet B, and the insulating-blocks b b on each side of the extremity of said lever A, the said fingers and blocks being so arranged that in one position of the lever the linger 0 will be on the extremity of the lever A and the finger c on the block I), and in the other position of the lever A the finger 0 will be on the extremity of the lever A and the spring-finger 0 on the block 1), substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of subscribing Witnesses.

CHAS. J. MEANS.

\Vitnesses:

ALEX. L. HAYES, A. E. ANDREW. 

